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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLewis Hall (24GA1877)_Final MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD For the Montana National Register of Historic Places Program and State Antiquities Database Montana State Historic Preservation Office Montana Historical Society PO Box 201202, 1410 8 th Ave Helena, MT 59620-1202 Property Address: Montana State University Campus North Side of Centennial Mall Historic Address (if applicable): City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 24GA1877 (An historic district number may also apply.) County: Gallatin Historic Name: Lewis Hall Original Owner(s): Montana State College of Agriculture & Mechanical Arts Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Lewis Hall Owner(s): Montana State University - Administration Owner Address: 201 Main Hall / PO Box 172440 Bozeman, MT 59717-2440 Phone: 406-994-2001 Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 5E SW ¼ NW ¼ NE ¼ of Section: 13 Lot(s): Block(s): 26 Addition: Capital Hill Year of Addition: 1890 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Classrooms, Offices, Laboratories Current Use: Same Construction Date: 1922 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov/topofinder2 NAD 27 or NAD 83(preferred ) Zone: 12 Easting: 496042 Northing: 5057111 National Register of Historic Places NRHP Listing Date: Historic District: Montana State University-Bozeman HD NRHP Eligible: Yes No Date of this document: December 31, 2012 Form Prepared by: Jessie Nunn / Consultant Address: 600 Meadowlark Lane, Livingston, MT 59047 Daytime Phone: 406-208-8727 MT SHPO USE ONLY Eligible for NRHP: X yes no Criteria: X A B X C D Date: 10/21/13 Evaluator: Kate Hampton Comments: Contributing resource within the MSU-Bozeman Historic District. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 2 Architectural Description Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Other: If Other, specify: Italian Renaissance Revival Property Type: Education Specific Property Type: Classroom, Office, Laboratory Architect: Architectural Firm/City/State: Shanley & Baker, Architects / Great Falls, MT Builder/Contractor: Company/City/State: Jarl & Lasker (general-superstructure) / Great Falls, MT; F. E. Peterson (general-substructure) / Spokane, WA; E. J. Garrahan (plumbing & heating); Arnold & Co. (electric) Source of Information: University Records Introduction Lewis Hall is a four-and-one-half story (including a daylight basement and attic) reinforced concrete building with a 66' x 128' footprint. The building is detailed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, with polychrome rug-face brick cladding laid in a running bond, terra cotta ornamentation and a gable roof covered in red tile. The gable ridge extends along an east-west line with parapets at its ends, clad in green tile. Carved rafter tails are visible under the exaggerated overhanging eave. The granite water table forms a continuous sill for the first story windows. A belt course of soldier and rowlock bricks capped by terra cotta separates the first story “base” of the building from the upper stories and serves as a continuous sill for the second story windows. Paired pilasters extend two stories from the base to their terra cotta capitals of acanthus leaves, evoking the Corinthian order of classical architecture. Each pilaster shafts consists of a stack bond of stretcher bricks flanking a stack course of rowlock bricks, with a slightly recessed stack of stretchers between the pilasters. The two corner pilasters on each elevation also display a terra cotta shield with a bas relief sheaf of wheat. The architrave consists of a rowlock and soldier course of bricks capped by terra cotta decorated with alternating pearl and billet molding. On the south facade and rear elevation, the frieze is decorated with brick panels with a terra cotta circle in the center and terra accents at the corners above the pilasters and three “Union Jack” windows above the window bays. The east and west gable ends do not have a freeze, but have attic story windows and other terra cotta ornamentation. Spandrels between the second and third stories are detailed with terra cotta and bricks in a decorative rectangular pattern, with a glazed terra cotta tile in the center. All original wood, one-over-one light, double-hung windows have been replaced with smaller one-over-one modern thermal units with metal frames below metal paneling. South Façade The primary façade displays a recessed entrance set within a protruding two-story gable-roofed porch. The roof of the porch exhibits red tile cladding, while the porch’s south gable-end parapet is clad in green tile matching the parapet ends of the main building. A stretcher and rowlock course of brick accent the parapet’s roofline. A semi-circular arch framed in terra cotta with bead and reel and rosette patterns frames the recessed entrance. Flanking the arch are three-light globe wall sconces protected by small metal, gabled hoods and circular terra cotta roundels embellished with the letters "LH". The double bronze and glass doors are accessed by a series of granite steps. A painted terra cotta panel detailed with circles and vertical lines separates the doors from the glass transom/tympanum. This upper glass is protected by an iron screen in a stylized floral motif. On either side of the doors, set within the porch, are vents protected by iron screens in a cross pattern. Six windows occur on either side of the entrance on the first and second story. Above the entrance are three smaller windows divided by single pilasters. These are flanked by six regular sized widows. In the center of the frieze is a large terra cotta panel incised with the word "LEWIS." A weathered concrete retaining wall is to the west of the entrance, partially hidden by a large conifer. The wall provides light to three basement windows. East and West Side Elevations These gable-end elevations were originally identical, although the west side has been partially obscured by its connection to the Cooley Laboratory since 1960. The east elevation has a smaller version of the gabled-roofed entrance porch found on the south façade. Here, the semi-circular arch is flanked by single globe sconces and terra cotta roundrels inscribed with “LH.” The entrance has a single wood door with an upper light, sidelights and a semicircular glass transom/tympanum protected by a decorative wrought iron grill. Immediately above the entrance is a large four-light stationary window. A decorative brick panel with two rectangles created by rowlock bricks with terra cotta corner accents around a centered terra cotta diamond is found between this window and the architrave. On either side of the entrance bay are three windows bays on each story. Above the architrave in the attic story are five arched windows openings with one-over-one metal units and paneling in the arched section. They are framed by two courses of rowlock bricks and have terra cotta sills. Four terra cotta rosettes with bas relief shields are located above the arched windows. Below the gable parapet is a MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 Architectural Description Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 brick herringbone design with alternating terra cotta panels of diamonds and rosettes that follows the angle of the gable. Six cross-shaped vents are found within the gable end. The west elevation is identical except its entrance has been removed to accommodate the one-story annex that connects Lewis Hall to the 1960 Cooley Laboratory. An enclosed, elevated walkway also connects the two buildings on the second story, entering Lewis Hall through the second-story window immediately to the north of the entrance bay. Finally, as a result of the site’s slope from east to west, the west elevation also has six basement level windows. South (Rear Elevation) The north elevation is similar to the south, but has a centered, projecting, four-and-one-half story, hip-roofed bay. Originally, the ground sloped steeply away from the site on this side, creating four full stories with a brick clad basement level. However, the basement level and portions of the first story are obscured by a connected 1985 building constructed to house animals used in biological research (Tietz Hall). Before the 1985 addition, a metal canopy suspended by chains protected the central basement entrance. The north addition’s basement annex also removed Lewis Hall’s basement entrance. Four windows are on each story of the central bay on the north elevation, with the third story windows being arched like those in the attic story of the side elevations. A single window is found in the east- and west-facing walls of the projection, and four windows are located at each story on either side of the central bay. Interior Little alterations have been done to the interior of Lewis Hall. The building retains its original doors with florentine glass and transoms and terrazzo floors. The main iron stair case at the south entrance has an oak railing and metal finials. At the juncture between ceiling and walls on each floor are cast consoles with floral patterns. Connected Buildings: Cooley Laboratory and Tietz Hall A three story International style building was constructed immediately to the west in 1960, and is connected to Lewis Hall by a ground floor glassed entrance annex, and a second story glassed walkway (Cooley Laboratory). Originally, the addition had walls of glass and aluminum frame on the north and south elevations, separated by full story brick pilasters. However, a 2012 renovation has transformed the building with only the connecting annex and elevated walkway exhibiting characteristics of the its original International style. In 1985, Tietz Hall, a facility for laboratory animals, was constructed immediately behind Lewis Hall. The low-profile brick-clad building lacks fenestration and is connected to the basement level of Lewis Hall. Because of the large size and specialized purpose of both Cooley Laboratory and Tietz Hall, each has an individual Montana Historic Property Record Form. Both buildings are counted individually as non-contributing buildings within the potential Montana State University Historic District. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 History of Property Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 HISTORY OF PROPERTY Introduction Lewis Hall was constructed in 1922 as a response to the need for increased classroom, laboratory and office space at Montana State College (MSC). Previous to the building's construction, the Biology Department was housed in the 1894 Experiment Station Building (Taylor Hall) located directly to the west. Biology shared the building with the agricultural department, horticulture and agronomy, occupying the entire upper two floors of the earlier building. [Quick Facts Notebook: Fourth Annual Catalogue, 1896-1897, and Bulletin vol. 3, no. 3 December 1, 1905]. When the Agricultural Department moved into their newly-completed building (Linfield Hall) in 1907, the cramped Biology Department expanded within the renamed Biology Building. However, continued growth and dissatisfaction with existing facilities prompted the college's disparaging remarks about its 25-year old building in 1917: "It is a very cheap brick veneer structure that is crowded from cellar to garret as is no other building on the grounds." Desiring to protect the valuable botanical and entomological collections, scientific equipment and libraries housed in the building, the station hoped to obtain financing for a new, fire proof structure. Additional reasons for new facilities included crowded and inefficient working and research conditions, which interfered with studies and prevented increased enrollment. [24th Annual Report, p.231]. According to historian Merrill Burlingame, in 1920, with enrollment expected to rise following World War I, Chancellor Edward Elliot urged the State Legislature to pass a special property tax of 2.5 mills to be used in support of higher education. A $5 million bond issue for new buildings was also initiated. Both measures were heartily passed, and the college was finally able to proceed with construction that would transform the campus. Five new Italian Renaissance Re vial style academic buildings and the Heating Plant were constructed between 1919 and 1922, followed in 1926 by Herrick Hall. [70]. George H. Shanley, Architect The college hired the Great Falls, Montana architectural firm of Shanley & Barker to design the new Biology building. George H. Shanley, perhaps Great Falls most prominent architect, was born in 1875 in Burlington, Vermont and attended the University of Vermont. After graduation, he worked for various architects in Duluth, Minnesota. In 1898, he came west to help his father build St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fargo, North Dakota and a barn near Glacier Park. During his early years in Montana, Shanley worked in Kalispell in the firm of Gibson and Shanley. In 1900, he moved to Butte, where he was associated with the firm of Shanley, Wilson and Hugenin. He formed his own firm in Great Falls in 1907, however; he continued to collaborate with others. In 1915, he worked with the renowned Spokane architectural firm of Cutter & Malmgren on a country house in West Glacier for Mrs. John G. Morony. For his MSC buildings (Lewis Hall and Romney Gymnasium), Shanley worked with Great Falls architect Charles H. Baker. Between World War II and his death in 1960, Shanley transitioned into the Modern style, forming the partnership of Shanley & Shanley with his son, Frank B. Shanley. In addition to Lewis Hall and Romney Gymnasium at MSC, Shanley designed numerous buildings throughout Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming. Representative examples include: the First National Bank Building, Federal Reserve Bank Building and the State Highway Department Building in Helena; the Finlen Hotel, the Immaculate Conception School and Convent and the main pavilion at Columbia Gardens in Butte; the Baxter Hotel in Bozeman; the Army Winter Training Camp at Yellowstone National Park; numerous commercial buildings in the Great Falls Commercial District, as well as the Montana State Fair Grounds and, with Spokane engineer Ralph Adams, the 10 th Street Bridge in Great Falls. He also designed several Catholic churches, many schools and numerous banks. [Adapted from Painter, 53-54]. Lewis Hall (Biology Building) The placement of Lewis Hall was a result of a landscaping plan by successful New York landscape architect Cass Gilbert. In 1917 the State Board of Education contracted Gilbert to create building programs for all four of the Montana’s institutions of higher learning. Gilbert's plan re-oriented the campus, creating a classical axial arrangement which retained Main/Montana Hall as the center of the campus, but expanded the property to the south. The 1922 Engineering Hall, along with the 1920 Chemistry Building, the 1922 Gymnasium, and the 1922 Engineering Shops created a second assembly of buildings encircling a broad, grassy open area. The construction activity on campus echoed building activity statewide. So busy were brick yards and the demand for masons so high that construction on the new Heating Plant, Lewis Hall, and the Gymnasium was delayed in continuing efforts to secure supplies and labor. Only the Engineering Building escaped this problem. [ Weekly Exponent , 9/26/1922,1]. With a site selected and funding secured, construction of the Biology Building could begin in earnest. Like Engineering Hall constructed simultaneously to the west, the general contract for Lewis Hall was divided into two sections. The Great MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 History of Property Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 Falls construction firm of Jarl & Lasker was awarded the substructure contract, which included the first floor slab. A detailed description of the construction process observed that construction went smoothly, and the concrete substructure was finished before winter. Unforseen additions to the contract included the widening and deepening of some footings due to unequal soil bearing capabilities. E. F. Peterson of Spokane was given the superstructure contract, and he began work the next spring. The amount of construction activity state-wide delayed his work, however, because of the heavy demand for brick. A Mr. Bray of Helena was the source of Lewis Hall's bricks. The frequent delays while awaiting brick caused Peterson to lose several good bricklayers. Similar difficulties arose when the interior plastering began, due again to the shortage of labor and materials. As is often the case, the specifications and plans were cut considerably during the bids for construction. The Biology Building report, however, commended Peterson's professionalism. "Mr. Peterson, the Contractor, has shown a disposition to be thoroughly fair and reliable. He has in all cases been more than willing to comply with the specifications and plans." [PWA Building Applications box] Despite the professionalism of the contractors, William R. Plew, MSC’s Supervising Architect, still struggled to ensure everyone followed building specifications exactly or, if changes were necessary, followed the appropriate protocol. Plew was certainly pleased with Shanley & Baker’s design, telling President Atkinson, “I have examined the plans and specifications for the Biology Building, and in my opinion they represent a very fine building, cleverly designed and adequate to the [department’s] needs.” [Plew to Atkinson, 10/15/1921]. The State Board of Examiners, however, saw fit to have final approval of all changes handled by Plew and the MSC Physical Plant, causing Plew to write Shanley apologetically, “You understand…that the point I have in mind is not to limit in any way the interest you have in the buildings nor to bar your from obtaining the nature of the work you desire. Our every effort will be to erect these buildings as you would wish to have them.” [Plew to Shanley, 8/22/21]. The arrangement, which Plew described as “unusual” and “probably not the proper way,” caused confusion among contractors, who were used to seeking approval directly from the architect. [Plew to Richardson, 7/27/1922]. A change in the building’s bronze doors proved particularly troublesome, with several rounds of correspondence circulating between Plew, Shanley, W. V. Marshall (MSC Superintendent of Buildings) and Frank W. Richardson, a building materials sales representative, before the situation was finally sorted out with a letter from Shanley authorizing Plew to change the building specifications. Plew was a stickler for the rules, but his exacting standards contributed heavily to the successful execution of architectural designs at MSC during his tenure as Supervising Architect (1913-1945). The $170,000 Biology Building was designed to house the departments of entomology and zoology, as well as botany and bacteriology, for both college and experiment station activities. Upon, completion, it contained nearly 100 specialized rooms, including a bee keeping room and gopher poison room in the basement, herbarium and plant physiology laboratory on the ground floor, zytology laboratory and culture media room on the first floor and insect collection room and entomology laboratories on the second floor. A 200-seat lecture hall was also planned on the second floor, and space for the state's natural history museum collection in the attic's third floor. The college of nursing office and laboratory was also located in the building. [29 th Annual Catalogue, 21; Ceiling Heights, 12/7/1922]. The name Lewis Hall was given to the building shortly following its completion, in honor of Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, which passed through the Gallatin Valley in the early 1800s. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 6 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY "Bug Building," The Weekly Exponent. 26 September 1922. Building Master List. Physical Plant Records, Montana State University. Burlingame, Merrill. A History: Montana State University. Bozeman, Montana. Bozeman, MT: Office of Information Publication, February 1968. "Folder A6.1/Buildings, History of." Montana State University Archives. "Folder 4, PA6.2, Building-costs." Montana State University Archives. Freeman, Cortlandt L "The Growing Up Years--The First 100 Years of Bozeman as an Incorporated City From 1883 to 1983," Bozeman, Montana. Bozeman, MT: Gallatin County Historical Society, December 1988. Marshall, W. V. Letter to W. R. Plew, “Ceiling Heights,” 7 December 1922. University Records, 21-0001. Nepper, Carl J. 1939 Building Appraisal. "PA6.1.LH/Lewis Hall, Floor Plan." Montana State University Archives. Painter, Diane J. Montana Post-World War II Architectural Survey and Inventory: Historic Context and Survey Report , December 2010. Plew, Willam R. Letter to Frank W. Richardson, 22 July 1922. University Records, 21-0001. Plew, William R. Letter to President Atkinson, 15 October 1921. University Records, 21-0001. Plew, William R. Letter to George H. Shanley, 22 August 1921. University Records, 21-0001. "PWA Projects Box." Montana State University Archives. "Quick Facts Notebook." Montana State University Archives. Shanley & Baker. Letter to W. R. Plew, 10 August 1922. University Records, 21-0001. University of Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. "24th Annual Report, June 30,1917, FY 1916-1917," 17. Bozeman, MT: n. p., February 1918. University of Montana Bulletin, Montana State College. "29th Annual Catalogue 1921-1922," no. 22. Great Falls, MT: The Tribune Printing Co., 1922. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Statement of Significance Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NRHP Listing Date: NA NRHP Eligibility: Yes No Individually Contributing to Historic District Noncontributing to Historic District NRHP Criteria: A B C D Area of Significance: Education, Achitecture Period of Significance: 1922-1968 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Lewis Hall is a contributing building within the Montana State University-Bozeman Historic District, which is eligible for listing under Criteria A and C. It is important for its associations with the growth of Montana State University, particularly during its second construction period (1919-1926). Architecturally, Lewis Hall is a significant example of the Italian Renaissance Revival style, as well as well as a representative work of Great Falls, Montana architect, George H. Shanley. The university's evolution from an uncertain agricultural school in 1893 with eight students to its present status as a leading engineering and technical school of over 14,000 is due in part to the construction of this building. Without the construction of Lewis Hall and the other Italian Renaissance Revival style buildings, the college's growth would have been forced into overcrowded rooms, limiting enrollment and available teaching and research space. Enrollment in the biology alone grew from 15 "applied science" students in 1893 to 81 biology students in 1922. The college’s first year, which was spent in rented buildings and high school classrooms, was described over 60 years later by former student, Thomas H. McKee, as: only an idea, a disembodied one, without house to dwell in, without teacher or student, and worst of all, without a dollar. To get its ensuing appropriations it had to be a going concern. It needed money to get started and couldn’t get money until it did start. (Burlingame, 12) The appropriation of 200 acres and some small farm buildings south of town on “a low hill, [and] a slightly place,” was the result of contributions by Bozeman citizens. One year later, the college boasted a large brick structure that commanded a view of the entire valley. (Burlingame, 19, 30) The first major period of construction (1894-1918) resulted in five brick buildings atop the low hill south of Bozeman. It was a good start for the 20-year old school, but larger things would follow. Lewis Hall was possible due to a large sum of money appropriated for the expansion of Montana’s university system. This resulted in the greatest construction period yet on the Montana State College (MSC) campus. The building was part of a concentrated effort by the State Board of Education and MSC to project an appearance of stability within an intellectually nurturing environment. It complimented landscape architect Gilbert's classical plan, and was appropriate to the academic institution. The style evoked images of the 16th-century's intellectual rebirth and optimism in mankind's future. The result was an ordered, refined campus in keeping with the college's status as one of the state's leading academic institutions. Built in 1922, the Italian Renaissance Revival style Lewis Hall was one of six such academic structures constructed on the campus between 1919 and 1926, and one of only two designs by the Great Falls firm of Shanley and Barker. Lewis Hall bears a close similarity to the Gymnasium, the other Shanley and Barker design. Both are situated on an east/west axis, and have the same green roof tiling on side elevation parapets. Both are also well-executed examples of the Italian Renaissance Revival design, and exhibit the versatility of the architects in adapting the style to suit different needs. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Integrity Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) The original section of Lewis Hall displays good integrity, and retains its massing and detailing. The building's classic Italian Renaissance Revival style was typical of academic buildings constructed in the United States and the four units of the Montana University system in the early 20th century, and conveys images of stability and permanence, important to a fledgling university. The 1960 addition to the west and the 1985 addition to the north detract from the original appearance of the north and west elevations of the buildings. However, they are constructed on lower land than Lewis Hall and do not obscure the entire elevations. They do not interfere with the most important two facades. Lewis Hall is still able to convey associations with the growth of Montana State University and its second major period of growth. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Photographs Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 Lewis Hall South Façade, Facing: N Montana State University Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Photographs Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 Lewis Hall South Façade Entrance, Facing: N Montana State University Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 11 Photographs Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 Lewis Hall West Elevation with Connection to Cooley Labs (Left), Facing: NE Montana State University Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 12 Photographs Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 Lewis Hall North Rear Elevation with East Elevation of Tietz Hall (Leon Johnson Hall in foreground), Facing: SW Montana State University Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 13 Photographs Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 Lewis Hall East Elevation, Facing: W Montana State University Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 14 Photographs Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 Lewis Hall East Elevation Entrance, Facing: W Montana State University Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 15 Photographs Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 Lewis Hall, c. 1922, Miscellaneous Photos (University Records). Lewis Hall, West Elevation (now connected to Cooley Labs), undated. Digital Historical Photo Collection, MSU Library, Photo ID: parc-000355. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 16 Site Map Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 17 Topographic Map Property Name: Lewis Hall Site Number: 24GA1877